Hardwired for Hope

During the past decade, the theme of "hope" dominated the popular culture, especially in novels and films.

In "Man of Steel" Kal-El explains to Lois Lane that the symbol on his chest meant "hope" in his native Kryptonian.

Other books and movies were set in dystopian futures sorely in need of hope: The Hunger Games triology, the Divergent trilogy, The Book of Eli, I Am Legend, and Chappie, to name just a few.

The theme of hope or the portrayal of hopelessness have been common themes for previous generations as well, as the arts have reflected their times.

For example, there is the film that helped launch Mel Gibson's career, 1979's Mad Max. set in a violent and self-destructing Australia.

In the same vein, when the Star Wars franchise launched two years before that, Episode IV was titled "A New Hope," as Luke Skywalker represented the one who would deliver the galaxy from the likes of Darth Vader and an oppressive Empire.

Popular culture's recognition of the power of hope should come as no surprise.

We, as creatures made in the image of our Creator, have been hardwired for hope.

We need hope in order to thrive. The darkest moments that we face are the ones permeated with hopelessness, the sense that nothing will get better.

Unfortunately, the majority of worldviews and belief systems leave a person hopeless.

Worldviews that reject God are inherently bereft of hope.

Belief systems that portray God as vindictive, capricious, or legalistic leave their adherents doubtful of their standing with him.

As I often say, your worldview or belief system is only as good as what it does for you on your deathbed. If it robs you of hope, what good is it?

Our Creator knows that we thrive on hope, so hope He provides, in the flesh and blood presence of the Savior, Jesus.

If Jesus' earthly ministry were happening in the 21st century instead of the 1st century, maybe He would have revised one of His "I Am" statements to say, "I am the Hope of the world."

Then He could have said to His Church, "You are the hope of the world," because that is indeed what the Church is.

The Church's ministry of reconciliation and its message of forgiveness are the only hope that this world has.

Any proclamation that falls short of delivering Jesus does just that.

It falls short.

It falls short of offering the hope that we need.

It falls short of giving us what God wants us to have.

Our Creator knows that we are hardwired for hope, because He designed us that way.

He knows that hope is the spring from which faith and love flow (Colossians 1:5).

He knows that hope can temper the pangs of grief and sorrow (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Hope we need, and hope God provides, through His Son Jesus Christ, the Hope of the world.

Are Your Britches Getting Tight?

"Never get too big for your britches!"

That word of warning from our 33rd president, Harry Truman, was not intended to be diet or fashion advice.

He meant, "Don't get too full of yourself, too prideful or arrogant."

In Ezekiel 36, the God of Israel, Yahweh, wanted His people to learn that same lesson.

It was their pride and arrogance that had set up the Israelites for their acts of idolatry.

They had reasoned, "We are Yahweh's chosen people. We can get away with anything because He won't call us on it."

And so they worshipped false gods.

Which led to their punishment at the hands of the Babylonians.

In 597 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took the best and brightest of ancient Israel into captivity, leaving those left behind without leadership and without hope.

Eleven years later, the capital city of Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed by fire.

With Israel's punishment completed, the time for promises had come.

Yahweh promised to restore the nation of ancient Israel, but He had this to say about it.

"It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of My holy name, which you have profaned (i.e., made common) among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them" (Ezekiel 36:22-23).

I'm not delivering you for your sake, but for Mine -- that's Yahweh's message to ancient Israel. It's also His message to us.

Quite frankly it seems a little rude, maybe even a little harsh. "You're saying, Yahweh, that we don't deserve deliverance, that we should simply be grateful that you deign to save us?"

And the answer to that question is "Yes!"

Yahweh's words to ancient Israel and to us are really the voice of His grace.

The voice of grace says, "You don't deserve it, but I'm delivering you anyway. And by the way, all the glory goes to the Lord, none to you."

It's only our sinful sense of pride that chafes at those words.

Our new nature as a follower of Jesus rejoices to sing:

By grace! None dare lay claim to merit;
Our works and conduct have no worth.
God in His love sent our Redeemer,
Christ Jesus, to this sinful earth;
His death did for our sins atone,
And we are saved by grace alone. Amen.
(Lutheran Service Book, 566. Public domain)

Are you suffering? Make it a virtue!

Hurricane Florence. Childlessness. Santa Fe High School. Hunger. California wildfires. Cancer. Terrorism. Death.

All of these are causes of a malady that afflicts all of creation, the malady of suffering.

I've begun to read "Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart: How to relate to those who are suffering," by Ken Haugk.

As he lists numerous biblical characters who faced various forms of affliction, trauma, and sorrow, I reflected on how we in 21st century America regard suffering as foreign to our human experience. It is to be avoided however possible.

That's why we numb with alcohol, drugs, food, sex, and whatever else we can grab to mask our pains.
As counter-intuitive as it sounds, we need to embrace suffering as an inevitable reality of life. Rather than numb and avoid, we can choose to endure and even thrive in suffering.

That's the biblical perspective that we hear from the apostle Paul. He writes to the Romans, "We also rejoice in our sufferings, for we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3, 4)

It's not enough for us to say in resignation, "This too shall pass." Because sometimes suffering is chronic, not passing. It's better to say, "Let's look for the good that God will bring through the suffering."

That's the key. Suffering is not just a physical or emotional experience. It is also profoundly spiritual.

My suffering is connected to my faith. It even has the ability to challenge that faith.

But it need not destroy that faith. Although God may seem remote during our times of pain, anguish, or grief, He is not.

God is present to bring good out of ill, and blessing from suffering.

He is present with us in His Son who suffered for us.

That's how we can redeem our suffering, how we can make it a virtue.

Trust that God, who is bigger than your suffering, is up to something good.

Laziness is a sin? You gotta be kidding me!

Pride, Envy, Greed, Hatred, Selfishness, Laziness, Injustice.

In the world of Shazam (the superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel), those vices are the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man.

They are based on the list of cardinal sins from centuries ago in Christian ethics: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. This catalog of vices was popularized in the 1995 thriller "Se7en," starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Both lists include some pretty bad stuff. Wrath or hatred. Pride. Envy. Greed. Injustice. Lust. Even gluttony. All of these cause problems for people.

How in the world, though, did sloth or laziness make the cut for being a deadly sin or deadly enemy of man?

Does my penchant for binge-watching "West Wing" really pose a threat to humanity? If so, does that make the love of Netflix the root of all evil?

All kidding aside, while it may not seem as dangerous as the other vices on those lists, sloth or laziness does indeed pose a threat.

Many a college freshman has been tossed out of school as a result of laziness.

People lose jobs because of sloth.

Marriages are ruined because of it.

Sloth or laziness is really the refusal to fulfill one's responsibilities, to do one's job. That job might be cracking the books, producing for the boss, or taking out the trash. Failure to do things such as these can wreak havoc in a person's life.

The Book of Proverbs, one of the Old Testament wisdom books, warns against being what it calls a sluggard.

"How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest -- and poverty will come on you like a bandit, and scarcity like an armed man" (Proverbs 6:9-11; repeated in Proverbs 24:33-34).

All of us wrestle with each of the items on those lists of vices. Every one of them poses a threat.

Maybe it's the one that appears benign that can prove the most malignant.

And maybe I wrote this blog, my first in four months, to warn myself of the vice that likes to sabotage me the most.

The Joy-Filled Six Dozen

Jesus was pumped!

Ok, Luke says He was "full of joy through the Holy Spirit."

That's the Bible's way of saying, "Jesus was pumped!"

What had Jesus so full of joy?

The seventy-two disciples He had deployed just came back with stories of their mission outings.

"Even the demons submit to us in Your name!" they exclaimed.

Their enthusiasm was contagious and filled Jesus with joy.

This story came across my radar as I have been looking at my goals for Messiah for 2018.

In 2017 we officially launched our Comfort Dog Ministry with the arrival of Gabriel, our LCC (Lutheran Church Charities) K-9 Comfort Dog. We also undertook a number of outreach events that enabled our members to use their gifts in exciting ways.

In 2018 I want to build on that.

With those thoughts in mind, Luke's story of Jesus sending out the seventy-two resonates with me.

Normally I don't treat the Bible like a leadership manual. However, I couldn't help but see things in this story that make sense in terms of pastoral and missional leadership.

1. Be wise.

Jesus didn't start by deploying the seventy-two. The sending of the seventy-two in Luke 10 is preceded by the sending of the twelve in Luke 9. Jesus started with His core group of disciples, those who had seen Him do ministry up-close. The twelve's success bred confidence and their enthusiasm inspired the other sixty to think, "If they can do it, so can I."

Moreover, in both instances, Jesus sent His followers out in pairs. He employed the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 4: Two are better than one.

Missional leaders need to be wise. That may mean taking time to equip your people and build your congregation's outreach ministry. It might mean thinking about the best way of setting your people up for success, because success breeds confidence.

2. Be honest.

Ministry isn't easy, for pastors or parishioners. Pastors receive lots of training to prepare them for their work and we still feel inadequate to the task. We are warned about the challenges and yet, until we face them, we don't understand them.

Our people need us to be honest with them that ministry is hard.

Jesus told the seventy-two that they would be sheep among wolves, that they would need to rely on the generosity of strangers, and that they would face rejection. You can't say that Jesus wasn't honest with them.

We need to be just as honest with our people. Ministry to the hurting and the lost is time-consuming, emotion-draining, and faith-challenging. It is rewarding, but also costly.

3. Be affirming.

When the seventy-two reported their successes, Jesus affirmed the work they had done. "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." In other words, "You did great!"

When people take the risk of doing outreach and caring ministry, they need to be affirmed in their work. When they report that they prayed with someone out loud or shared their faith with another person (maybe for the very first time), we need to affirm to them that their efforts made a difference for that person and, more importantly, filled Jesus with joy.

4. Be grounded.

The seventy-two were excited about their success, as well they should have been. However, Jesus didn't want their joy to be rooted only in their success, because success is not always guaranteed.

Joy needs a firmer foundation, one that can never be shaken. "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven," Jesus said. Salvation is the true source of joy when we succeed. It is also the true source of joy when we fail. Success does not solidify our salvation. Failure does not compromise our salvation. Salvation in Christ is solid, independent of failure or success.

5. Be thankful and praise-ful.

Jesus praised His heavenly Father for making known His truth to the seventy-two. He was thankful for the divine work accomplished through His followers.

Leaders model by example that all glory is given to God. We can rejoice in our people's success, but neither we nor our people deserve the credit for the good that results.

We need people who plant. We need people who water. We need to remember that God gives the growth. Affirm your planters and waterers, but give the glory and thanks to God.

May God bless you all as we begin a new year of adventurous ministry in the name of Jesus.